Legend of Zelda: Passing of Time
by TieFighterPlt181st
Summary: At the age of 17 Link left Zelda to fulfill his duty as the hero of the Goddesses. Seven years later, he returns to his home to find that Hyrule is now under the control of a brutal dictator. It's not who you think it is, read the story and find out!


This is a new fic I'm starting. It's going to be a Action/Adventure with a mix of romance thrown in. I hope you like it.

Little background info: at the start of this fic Link and Zelda are both 17 years and assuming that Link did not return to his own time after OoT, so yeah.

It was a clear and starry sky that night and the moon shone down on the gardens of Hyrule Castle. There, standing on one of the numerous paths were two figures. The taller was a handsome young man dressed in a dark green cloak, forest green tunic, green hat, and white hose. Upon his back were strapped a multitude of weapons, a broadsword, shield, longbow, and quiver.

Opposite him, was a beautiful young woman in an elegant sky blue gown. From her cerulean eyes, a single tear wound its way down her pale cheek as she looked at the man before her.

"Zelda, please do not do this." The young man pleaded of her.

"Why not?" she exclaimed as the tear fell from her face. "You don't know how it feels, what its like to watch the one you love possibly going off to his death. Damn it Link, I don't want to lose you."

"You know I feel the same way. However, the Goddesses have spoken and it is my destiny." Stated Link with determination in his voice, and struggling to hold back his own tears.

"Let them find another hero! Haven't you done enough already," she cried, falling into his chest and burying her head into his shoulder.

Wrapping his arms around her, he replied, "I cannot, you know as well as I do that until the day I die, I will always be the chosen hero of the Goddesses and that I must fulfill the destiny set before me."

Knowing that nothing would stop him, Zelda finally lamented. "Fine, do your duty. But, promise me that you will return," she pleaded.

"Zelda do not do this to yourself, if I die then you will forever live with the bitterness of an unfulfilled promise." Link replied trying to reason with her.

"Promise me!" she cried out, a new bunch of tears streaking down her face.

Unable to watch Zelda in such a sad state, Link consented, "I promise you I will return Zelda. Now, I must leave." Turning his back, he walked down the path, his cloak swishing behind him.

"Link wait!" Zelda exclaimed, running towards him.

"What is it Zelda?" Link inquired.

From her ears, she quickly detached the golden Triforce earrings that she always wore and grabbed Link's hand before he could react. "I want you to have them so that you will have something to remember me by."

"Thank you, I promise that I shall return them to you the day I return." Link replied, looking at the delicately styled earrings that he now held in his hands. Leaning in for one last embrace and kiss, he turned and left, leaving Zelda standing alone in the gardens, her tears pouring freely.

Seven Years Later

Along the dusty paths leading to Hyrule rode a single horseman. He was evidently a traveler as his cloak was caked with dust.

"Well Epona, its been seven long years since we last saw home." Link spoke to his horse which nodded as if in assent.

Yes, it had been a long time, Link reflected. For seven years he had been in far off lands fighting of villains and monsters that were plaguing other lands. During those years, he was motivated by the memory of a princess who was dear to him and who he had made a promise to, to return. From a pouch on his belt, he found a small bag containing a pair of earrings given to him so long ago. Looking at them conjured an image of Zelda in Link's mind, hair like silken gold, lips the color of roses in their prime, and beauty unmatched by any other in the land. Now, after seven long years he would return to fulfill that promise. Spurring Epona into a gallop, he soon found himself on the outskirts of the castle town.

Looking around, he perceived that there was something strange happening and first thought that perhaps Ganon had returned, however after careful thought that seemed highly unlikely. Under Ganon the land had been barren and the castle was a mere shadow of its former self. Yet, here the forests and fields were as green as ever and if anything, the castle looked even grander than it had before. Riding around the streets however, things were a bit strange. There were a large amount of people milling about, yet they did not seem as cheerful and talkative as one would expect at an outdoor market like the one he was riding through. Feeling quite hungry he decided to buy some bread.

"Hello there sir, fine day isn't it?" Link inquired cheerfully of the rotund man who was running the bread stall. The vendor merely nodded.

"I'd like to buy some bread." Link replied slowly, a bit unnerved at the vendor's behavior.

"That will be five rupees." The vendor stated in a monotone voice handing Link the requested loaf of bread. As he handed the vendor the sum of money Link made a note to ask Zelda what was going on when he would see her. As he was walking back to his horse, munching thoughtfully, he was stopped in his tracks by a loud voice behind him.

"You there, halt!"

Spinning around to see where the voice came from, Link observed two armored soldiers coming towards him. There was something odd about them Link noticed, instead of the silver mail and plate armor that he remembered, these soldiers wore a new black and red suit of armor made of several small rectangular plates bolted together at the shoulders and several more that were bolted together in the front and back. Instead of the usual shield tapering to a point, these two sported rectangular shields painted in the same red and blacks as the armor. Yet there was something familiar on the armor, the Triforce was etched onto the shield and painted in gold as well as the armor. However, even that too was different, Link noticed. Unlike before, the top triangle seemed to be brighter than the others. Most likely, during the years he had been gone, the soldiers had been issued new uniforms, yet the colors seemed to signify something ominous, but Link couldn't quite puzzle out the troubling feelings in the back of his mind. Again Link made a mental note to ask Zelda what had happened during the years that he was gone.

"What can I do for you?" Link asked of the two cheerfully.

"By the orders of Her Imperial Majesty herself, we are supposed to take you to the castle." The older one replied, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever.

The word Imperial caught in Link's mind. That was funny, he didn't remember the title of the ruling monarch containing that word. Well, since he was planning to go to the castle anyways to visit Zelda, then following these two soldiers seemed like a good idea. With the soldiers on either side of him, Link walked through the streets of the town and towards the castle. It was now he noticed that there were pairs of soldiers on every street corner and several small columns in the larger squares and such. The people he noticed, seemed to distance themselves from the soldiers as much as they could. Soon enough, Link found himself stepping through the castle gate and into the castle itself.

Inside the castle a bustle of activity was taking place. More of the black and red armored soldiers were training and marching about. A row of black stallions were tied up along one side.

First the soldiers motioned for Link to set aside his weapons and other equipment which he readily complied to, being glad to relieve himself of the weight after so many hours of travel. Wordlessly, the two soldiers accompanying Link, led him through a large set of doors and through a corridor which Link recognized as the path to the throne room. Perhaps Zelda had heard of return and had sent for him, he thought hopefully to himself. The doors to the throne room were also guarded by a pair of soldiers who swung open the doors just as Link and his two guards arrived at the threshold of the door. As the doors opened Link's breath was taken away by the sight of the throne room. Already quite luxurious before he had left, it was now even more opulent than before. Several crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Gold trim adorned much of the furniture as well as the room itself. Looking strait ahead, Link saw a throne set upon a raised dais. The throne was richly adorned with jewels and was inlaid with gold.

From the wall besides the throne another door opened and a figure stepped out. Laying eyes upon the figure, he let out a gasp of recognition. It was Zelda at who he was looking at. Instead of the lighter color gowns that he remembered her wearing, she was in a black and red dress much like the guards were. The upper part of her gown fit the body snugly, emphasizing her willowy figure while the bottom part spread out a bit making it seem all the more elegant. Along the front of the dress was embroidered again the Triforce with the top triangle more emphasized than the others. The dress brought out the paleness of her skin and the redness of her lips quite well. Link saw that she had become even more beautiful during the seven years he had been gone. Around her slender neck was a necklace attached to the largest and brightest ruby that Link had ever seen.

"Zelda, I have returned as I have promised!" he exclaimed, running up to her, his arms wide as if to embrace her. As he got closer, he noticed something different about Zelda's eyes. Her eyes he remembered were as blue as the water of Lake Hylia, and were always filled with the glint of mischief, yet now that glint was replaced by a fire.

However, instead of finding himself in Zelda's arms, he felt a sharp blow from behind in the middle of his back, dropping him to his knees. Biting back an exclamation of pain, Link instead looked up at Zelda who was now sitting in the throne and to his surprise laughing at him.

"Zelda, what is going on? I do not understand." Link choked out through the pain.

"Perhaps you need to be enlightened after having been away so long." She replied with a little smile. "Things have changed around here Link. Poor father died several years ago after you left and our county fell under attack by some of our neighbors who thought that they could take advantage of us in our weakness." Zelda got out of the throne and strode towards where Link was now being held in the firm grips of the two guards who had brought him to the throne room, and started walking around him slowly and deliberately. "It seemed as if our country would be overrun and we would be made slaves."

Link did not entirely grasp the situation but knew that Zelda was not in her right mind, and that he must escape. Unfortunately he realized, he had left all of his equipment in the courtyards. All except the dagger he always kept in his left boot. Slowly he raised his left boot as if to use it to scratch an itch on his right leg.

"Our country needed firm leadership in its desperate times, especially since its hero had deserted it in its hour of need. I provided that leadership and the country was able to defeat the invaders. It was during this time Link, that I realized something." Zelda whispered to Link leaning towards his ear when she was behind him spitting out the word hero with the utmost contempt. Then, in the blink of an eye her hand flashed down to Link's boot and retrieved the dagger which she brought forth with a smile.

"Perhaps you were thinking of leaving before I finished speaking?" she asked of Link, waving the dagger before his eyes.

"Of course not, that would be rude. Now, as I was saying. Yes, it was during those years I came to a realization. All alone, I had saved the country. I defeated the power which was attacking our country and I defeated the enemy who was courageous on the battlefield. With my wisdom, I defeated both power and courage. Thus Link, the Triforce of Wisdom is the most powerful of the three, because it can control both and defeat both. That is why I am the leader of this land." She said as using the dagger to trace along Link's neckline.

"What's happened to you Zelda? You were never like this before." Link said with great sadness at seeing the woman whom he had love so much, changed into a cold hearted tyrant.

"You're right, I was weaker before Link. I was idealistic and foolish, but no longer! Now I have become what this country need's most, a strong leader. I am now the Empress of Hyrule, and I will soon avenge our nation by attacking those who have dared to attack us." She said with satisfaction, applying a bit of pressure to the dagger, making Link's forehead bead with sweat.

"The people do not need a tyrant, they need a ruler who is kind, loves them, and is patient!" Link couldn't keep himself from shouting.

"Kindness, love, and patience are the virtues of weak rulers. They will not get you far, but ambition, and a strong hand will and that's what I am providing for them for which they should be thanking me." She replied calmly, unperturbed by Link's outburst.

"Now, as for you, I had hoped that you would prove a bit more cooperative, but your little act of rebellion cannot go unpunished. Guards, take him to the dungeons." She ordered turning around.

Link was stunned and did not resist the two guards dragging him down to the depths of the castle where the dungeons were located. Seven years had totally changed Zelda. She had gone from a woman who was kind, passionate, and generous, to a cold hearted tyrant, whose ambition and hatred blinded her to the world. Unfortunately he was brought out of his thought process rather rudely when the guards threw him roughly into a cell.

Looking around Link felt, little hope within himself. The iron bars of the cell were quite new and strong and the stone was thick and in no place were there cracks for him to exploit. As his eyes swept around the cell, he came upon a figure lying on a cot with silver hair and tattered blue clothing.

"Impa!" Link exclaimed, rousing the woman from her sleep.

"Link!" she replied in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came back finally and I met Zelda who sent me down here." Link stated morosely.

"I see."

"Impa, what has happened to Zelda? Why has she changed so much?" Link asked, desperate to find out what had happened to his beloved princess.

"It started the day you left seven years ago Link. While she may have accepted that you must leave, that didn't mean that she liked that decision. Without you she felt as if all the happiness had left her life. She became more distant with the people and rarely left the castle walls. Then a year later, her father died. Now, she had lost two of the people she had held dearest. Zelda spent more and more time alone, and barely even talked to me. Then the servants and I noticed a change in her. She studied ancient tomes of magic for hours on end. Then, one day a servant happened to see her discover an old necklace in a chest that was in a secret room in the castle." The Sheikah told Link.

"Would that necklace happen to be one with a large ruby?" Link interrupted.

"Yes, it was. I guess you've seen it then. Well that's no surprise, ever since the day she found it she never took it off. She wore it all day every day, didn't matter if she was sleeping or bathing either. As time passed we noticed that she was changing. Her will grew stronger yet at the same time her decisions became more cold hearted. However, it was the invasions that changed her the most. We were invaded by several of our neighbors and seemed to be at the brink of defeat. It was at this time that the greatest change came over Zelda. As the enemy approached the castle town, she stood at the tallest tower of the castle and called down a magic so powerful that I cannot describe it. Within moments, the enemy host was dead. Yet while we were joyous that the enemy had been repulsed we were frightened by this new tyrant among us. Our fears were justified when she crowned herself Empress and declared her intentions of avenging Hyrule upon those who had dared attacked us."

Link sat down trying to process all the information that Impa had just told him.

"It's all my fault then. If I hadn't left, then none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be here Impa, and the people would be happy and free again." Link lamented.

"You cannot blame yourself Link, you were merely fulfilling your duty." Impa said, trying to reassure the young man.

"Nevertheless, we are stuck here and there is nothing to do to stop her. Then again with the power she wields who knows if anyone can stop her."

"There will be a way Link, the Goddesses will find one."

Well another fic started, yay! Tell me what you think.


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